Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark has joined the list of nominees to succeed Ban Ki-moon as secretary-general of the United Nations, in a bid to become the first woman in the role of world's top diplomat. She said she would bring her almost three decades of leadership skills to the job of secretary-general in an ever more challenging and crisis-filled world.
On Tuesday, current New Zealand Premier John Key expressed his support to Clark, saying the former prime minister has the right mix of skills and experience for the job. According to Daily Mail, Helen Clark is the eighth candidate and the first from outside Europe to throw a hat in the ring for the world's top diplomatic post. Several members of the UN are pressing for a woman to take the secretary-general role for the first time and some, including Russia, argues that Eastern Europe has never had a secretary-general and that it should be their time.
Helen Clark was New Zealand's prime minister from 1999 to 2009. Her high-profile entry into the race is certain to increase pressure among the power brokers of the UN to appoint a woman as the leading face of diplomacy on the international stage. The Guardian reported that her announcement immediately places her as a serious contender to become the secretary-general in the UN's 70-year history. Clark endured rough politics in New Zealand, and many members of the UN see this as an evidence that she would be able to withstand the pressure of the becoming the UN's prime leader.
The UN Security Council, which includes the stable five members of France, Russia, UK, US, and China, will start discussions over the candidates in July, reports Bloomberg. New Zealand is currently a non-permanent member of the council.
As the head of the UN Development Program or UNDP, which she has led for the past seven years, she has proven herself to be a tough and firm administrator who has cut budgets in her area. This may earn her valuable support from the United States, which begrudgingly pays the lion's share of the UN's running costs.
